The present invention relates to an outdoor unit installed an outdoor side of a body of an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner especially of a heat-pump type for the purpose of increasing the degree of freedom for the outdoor location thereof, providing an improved drain discharge structure and an improved cooling structure of an electrical part such as heat sink.
Conventionally, an example of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner of the type mentioned above is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model No. SHO 62-41144. This outdoor unit of the air conditioner is divided into vertically two parts, by, for example, a partition plate, comprising a machine chamber or room in which a compressor, an accumulator, an electrical equipment box and so on are arranged and a heat exchanger chamber into which a heat exchanger unit composed of V-shaped heat exchanging element, an outdoor fan and so on are arranged. These chambers are housed in a unit casing in which the heat exchanger chamber is disposed above the machine chamber.
The outdoor unit of the air conditioner is formed with a ventilation port or opening having a right-angled triangular shape at its outer wall section surrounding the V-shaped heat exchanging element of the heat exchanger unit. Atmospheric air is introduced through this ventilation port, is subjected to a heat exchanging with the V-shaped heat exchanging element, and then, is discharged outside through an air blowout port or opening formed to an upper portion thereof.
In such outdoor unit of the air conditioner of the structure mentioned above, however, in a case where a plurality of such outdoor units are installed in parallel and close to each other in a horizontal direction, the air suction ports of the adjacent outdoor units are opposed close to each other. Thus, an amount of air to be induced into the heat exchanger units through the triangular ventilation ports will be decreased, and accordingly, the heat exchanging function can be sufficiently performed with the V-shaped heat exchanging element. Hence, the heat exchanging capacity is lowered and the air conditioning function is also lowered. In addition, in a case where such outdoor unit is installed so that the suction port of the heat exchanger unit is arranged to be close to the wall surface, such as an exterior wall of a building, there decreases the introduction flow rate of the atmospheric air through the suction port opposing close to the wall surface. Thus, the heat exchanging function by means of the heat exchanging element is lowered. That is, there provides a problem that the heat exchanging capability and air conditioning capability or function may be lowered depending on the installation site or installation method thereof.
Furthermore, in usual, in a conventional structure of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, after a warming (heating) operation mode of the air conditioner has been switched to a defrosting operation mode, a drain caused during this operation mode is collected by a drain plate and then discharged outside the outdoor unit through a drain hose, for example. However, in the conventional structure, such drain hose is extends outside thereof, providing no good outer appearance and damaging effective use of installation space.
Still furthermore, in a conventional structure, a heat sink as an electrical part is exposed in the machine chamber, and the cooling of the electrical parts or elements is performed through a natural heat radiation or by an air sucked through a gap between an outdoor fan and a partition plate sectioning the machine room and the heat exchanger chamber. Thus, the cooling of the electrical elements and the like is not adequately made.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner capable of being installed while maintaining a high heat exchanging function without being lowered irrespective of any installation site and installation method and capable of increasing the degree of freedom for its installation to thereby efficiently utilize the installation space.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an outdoor unit of an air conditioner capable of improving an outer appearance of the outdoor unit thereof and effectively cooling electrical parts or elements housed therein.
These and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing, in one aspect, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a unit case having a rectangular shape in section and composed of side panels in which a machine chamber and a heat exchanger chamber are defined so as to be vertically aligned in an installed state, the heat exchanger chamber being disposed above the machine chamber and separated by means of a partition plate, the side panels surrounding the heat exchanger chamber being formed with suction ports; and
a heat exchanger unit disposed inside the heat exchanger chamber and having four side wall sections at least opposing two of which are inclined inward by a predetermined angle with respect to inner surfaces of the side panels, of the unit case to which the air suction ports are formed.
In a preferred embodiment, at least two side wall sections of the heat exchanger unit are arranged in substantially parallel to each other.
The heat exchanger unit comprises a pair of heat exchangers each having an L-shape in a plan view providing an obtuse angle so that the respective sides of the L-shaped heat exchangers are arranged to be opposed to the air suction ports, respectively, and to provide substantially a parallelogram shape in a plan view.
An electrical element or like is arranged in the machine chamber. The partition plate vertically sectioning the heat exchanger chamber and the machine chamber has a dish-shape acting as drain pan to which a drain duct is formed.
As described above, according to the present invention, a pair of opposite sides of the heat exchanger housed in the heat exchanger chamber are inclined at a predetermined angle inward with respect to the inner surface of the periphery wall of the heat exchange chamber formed with the air suction ports. Moreover, a suction space in the clearance between the outer periphery wall of the heat exchanger chamber and each of the opposite sides of the heat exchanger is widened by the inclination of the opposite side portions of the heat exchanger, and thus, a decrease in the atmospheric air suction area for each heat exchanger can be suppressed and prevented. Thus, the lowering of the heat exchanging capability of the heat exchanger can be suppressed and prevented.
In addition, even in the case where a plurality of outdoor units are arranged in parallel to each other, each of the opposite sides of the heat exchanger is inclined so that the air suction space of the clearance can be ensured.
Therefore, even if the outdoor unit is installed while one surface of the heat exchanger chamber is opposed close to the exterior wall of the building or the like, this outdoor unit can be installed while maintaining its high heat exchanging capability and function.
Therefore, the degree of freedom for installation of the outdoor unit is increased and the installation space thereof can be efficiently utilized.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a unit case having a rectangular shape in section and composed of side panels in which a machine chamber and a heat exchanger chamber are defined so that the heat exchanger chamber is disposed above the machine chamber vertically in an installed state, the side panels being formed with air suction ports to portions of the side panels surrounding the heat exchanger chamber;
a heat exchanger unit having four side wall sections opposing to inner surfaces of the side panels to which the air suction ports are formed;
an electrical element disposed on a bottom plate of the machine chamber; and
a drain pan formed as a partition plate vertically sectioning the heat exchanger chamber and the machine chamber; and
a duct unit having upper and lower openings opened to an upper surface of the drain pan and opened to a lower surface of the bottom plate of the machine chamber.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect, the upper opening of the duct unit is divided into a plurality of ports by a partition wall so that one opening port is in a level substantially the same as the upper surface of the drain pan and another opening port is in a level higher than the upper surface thereof.
The electrical element is disposed in the machine chamber at a front side portion of the unit case facing outside thereof, and the electrical element includes a heat sink. The duct unit is provided with an air passage communicated with the other opening port disposed in the level higher than the upper surface of the drain pan and said air passage is formed with an opening through which the heat sink is exposed.
The partition wall has a lower end portion ended at a portion upper than the lower end opening of the duct unit.
The heat exchanger unit has four side wall sections at least opposing two of which are inclined inward by a predetermined angle with respect to inner surfaces of the side panels to which the air suction ports are formed.
According to this aspect of the present invention, the drain produced during the operation of the air conditioner is received and collected by the drain pan in shape of plate and is then discharged downward the bottom plate of the machine chamber through the duct unit having the improved structure, which is arranged inside the outdoor unit, thus improving the outer appearance of the outdoor unit.
Furthermore, although no drain is produced at the outdoor heat exchanger during the cooling operation mode of the air conditioner, the air in a space below the bottom plate of the machine chamber is sucked into the heat exchanger chamber, and the inside of the duct unit is ventilated. An opening through which an electrical element of heat sink is exposed at the midway of the axial direction of the duct unit, and therefore, the heat sink can be well cooled by the ventilation of this duct unit.